The Sacrament of Reconciliation
by tii-chan17
Summary: In order to earn forgiveness from God, we must first fully atone for our sins. And Mello has committed a lot of sins. Rated for language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OMG, NEW FIC IS FINALLY OUT! God, I don't even know how long I've been working on this...it's not even that long!  
**

**Basically, this idea came to me A LONG TIME ago, so I wrote it all down and started typing it up. I wanted to do a fic that wasn't a one shot, but wasn't a twenty-odd chapter epic, either! XD  
**

**So, this one's around...I forgot. Ummm. Seven chapters? Yeah, that's it. Anyways, I really like it, and it's cute (SO wish that was an option on the genre picker here...) and also, IT'S THE FIRST STORY I'VE HAD A BETA FOR! (Which has improved it beyond belief)**

**So, this'll probably be updated every Saturday, give or take a day or two.  
**

**And, thanks so much to my beta, Rainbow Fruit Loop, for making this amazing! I was gonna force her to write a beta note, but then decided I'd have mercy on her and not. XD  
**

**This chapter's a bit angsty, by my standards, so sorry if you don't like that! But trust me, it doesn't stay like this.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. Unfortunately. If I did, Mello wouldn't have died. Or Matt. Or L. Or anyone, really. Death isn't my thing.**

* * *

Chapter One: Poker Face 

It all started with that goddamned beach trip Roger cooked up.

"This is so fucking stupid! I'm fourteen, not some fucking toddler!" Mello was not amused.

"Geez, princess, calm down. A beach trip ain't so bad. At least the weather isn't quite as shitty down here." Matt replied calmly, staring up at the sky through his orange goggles.

"It's too hot!" His best friend complained. The whiny bitch.

"And exactly whose fault is that for insisting on wearing black? C'mon, Mels, I know for a fact that you have _some_ colour in your wardrobe. Anyways, look, Roger's calling everyone for some kind of pow-wow over there. We'd better go listen." The redhead started slouching away towards the gathered huddle of orphans.

Mello followed, looking pissy.

"Now, everyone, this beach trip has been organised for all of you to take a well-earned break from your studies and have some fun; not to get lost. To prevent this, I will be assigning you each to a small group of three, in order of rank." the caretaker of Wammy's announced.

Mello's eyes bugged. Wouldn't that mean…?

"First group: Near, Mello and Matt." Roger started rattling off the list of groups.

Internally, Matt facepalmed. Jesus, was Roger fucking stupid or something? He was going to get Near's ass killed one of these days.

Mello, on the other hand, was horrified. He was stuck with the albino sheep. Again.

He didn't bother to disguise his reaction, letting the shock and disgust reign free on his features. He surreptitiously glanced over at Near to see what he thought of the whole thing.

Completely blank. Of course.

Mello had to grit his teeth. God, Near was so annoying. Poker faces were overrated these days, anyway.

"Now," Roger's voice brought Mello back to the matter at hand, "I must stress the importance of staying in your groups. It will be incredibly unwise if individuals wander off. Therefore, anyone caught doing so will be severely punished." Roger's all-seeing eye slid to give Mello the poignant evils.

Mello grimaced inwardly. He was already in enough trouble for trying to steal the _entire_ kitchen's worth of chocolate.

There went his last hope of freedom.

"That is all. Have fun, children!" Roger bade them farewell.

Have fun.

Yeah, right.

Mello turned around slightly, and noticed the redhead mooching up behind him.

"Yo, Mello. Should we go change so we can swim, or what? What do you want to do first?" asked Matt in his characteristic drawl.

"Whatever. I don't really give a shit." Mello groused.

Matt ignored the Mello Sulk and turned to the white-haired boy who had just joined their group. "What about you, Near?"

"I have no opinion on the matter," came the quiet reply.

"Shock, horror. Come on, Matt, let's get fucking moving. I hate procrastinating." Mello grabbed his friend by the wrist, and started dragging him towards the changing rooms. Near followed in silence.

When they were in the small, dim room, Mello promptly stripped himself of his shirt and pants, having donned swimming trunks earlier that morning. Now that the minimal shock of having to put up with the albino full-time was gone, he was actually beginning to look forward to their dip in the sea.

Not that he'd admit it.

Matt followed suite, and chucked Mello a towel once he had fished it out of the huge-ass carrier bag he'd been lugging around all day, simply because Mello had been too damn lazy to pack his own.

Both males turned to Near, who had yet to undo a single button on his white pyjama shirt.

"Hurry the fuck up; we ain't got all day." Mello snapped at him, putting his hands on his hips.

Near paid no attention, continuing to sit in silence and twirl his finger in his hair.

"Hey, freak! I said, 'hurry the fuck up'!" Mello raised his voice, leaning closer into the younger boy's personal bubble.

Near finally reacted, and pulled back slightly from Mello's invasion. "I have no wish to remove my clothes," he said.

"I don't give a shit whether you want to or not - just take them off! I can't go swimming without you, unfortunately." Mello informed him, grabbing his shirt and attempting to pull it over his head.

Near resisted, gripping the hem tightly.

"Stop being such a bitch!" Mello was seriously annoyed now. "Take off the fucking clothes!"

Matt watched the proceedings with something less than interest. This happened pretty much every day; Near and Mello's arguing was an unstoppable phenomenon.

Eventually, even the redhead was too bored to continue. "You know what? Fuck Roger and his stupid rules. I'm gonna go swim. See ya there, Mels, Short Stuff." He exited the changing rooms with a small smirk on his face.

Mello seethed. He would have eagerly run after his friend, but the last thing he needed was for Roger to be on his case _even more_. The guy knew how to hold a grudge, that was for sure.

"Seriously, Near. Take off your fucking clothes! What, do you not have a swimsuit or something?"

Near looked up at him through a curtain of snowy white hair. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. However, as I have said before, I do not feel entirely comfortable stripping in front of Mello."

Mello could have sworn he felt a vein burst. "I don't give a fuck if you feel comfortable or not! Just take off your clothes already, so I can go fucking swim!" With that, he ripped the shirt off Near, pulling off a large majority of the buttons from the front.

And then he froze.

"Fuck. Near, what happened to you?" Mello finally breathed, still unmoving.

Near sat, his eyes averted, as Mello blatantly stared at his torso.

The pale skin was covered with scars and bruises, both old and new.

Mello gulped, reaching out as if to touch one, but thought the better of it, letting his hand fall to his side.

"What happened?" he repeated hoarsely.

Near gave no answer, and then proceeded to merely fumble with his hair in something that would have been nervousness, had it been any other person.

"Near. Tell me what happened. If someone did this to you, you can't let them get away with it. Hell, I don't like you, but I can't _believe_ anyone would give you bruises as bad as those. There could even be some internal damage!" Mello told him near-hysterically, wishing for the calming aura of Matt. The blond was no good with situations like these.

Still, Near stayed silent, only breaking his blank visage with a slight raise of his pale eyebrow.

"Near!" Mello damn-near screeched at him.

Finally, Near sighed and blinked slowly, looking up at Mello from under his eyelashes. "Doesn't Mello remember?" he asked quietly.

Mello narrowed his eyes, confused. "Remember what?"

"When Mello is angry about my beating him in the exams, he makes a habit of physically abusing me." Near reminded the blond, shifting his eyes to the floor again.

Mello could feel an awful headache coming on. "Are…are you telling me _I_ gave you those scars?" he croaked, his blue eyes wide with shock.

Near only looked at him, his expression blank.

Suddenly, Mello felt the horrible urge to throw up.

God. Oh, dear, fucking God. He'd meant to hurt Near while he was angry, but not—

He just hadn't been able to _see—_

His goddamn_ fucking_ poker faces.

The room swam, making Mello dizzy. All he could see were the terrible injuries on Near's torso; everything else was a black haze.

He was a bully. No, that didn't cut it.

He could have seriously hurt someone, a fellow Wammy's habitant. Who the fuck cared if it was Near or not - even _Mello_ wasn't capable of hating the kid _that_ much.

He was despicable.

Suddenly, Mello couldn't bear to be in the same room as the white-haired boy. He ran out of the dimly-lit changing room, desperately searching for a place in which he could be alone for a while.

Near watched him leave, his poker face never slipping. After he was sure the blond wasn't coming back, he sighed heavily and put his shirt on, fastening the few buttons that remained.

He didn't particularly want to go swimming; he may as well just wait out the duration of the trip in here.

And take the time to shake off the unexplainable sadness that had permeated his mind.

* * *

**A/N: Oh dear. I really went down the depressing route there, didn't I? Sorry about that. Anyways, please review! I'll be uploading the chapters anyway, but it's always good for my self-esteem. And I have exams coming up, so I need something to make me hppy. :( *shameless blackmail***


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here it is, as promised! New chapters ftw! (only Rainbow Fruit Loop's gonna get that...)  
**

**This is another fairly angsty chapter. Also, it has quite a lot of references to Catholic Christianity. Just so you lot know, I am in fact a Catholic (not the most devout, I'll admit) and I study this stuff at school. Therefore, I know what I'm on about. The quote and everything. In case you'reinterested, it's from Jesus' Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. I dunno what book or number thingy. I'm not that religious. XP  
**

**Okay, I'm gonna be frank. There wasn't a brilliant response to the last chapter, but hey. I'm not going to moan. Just please review. I have exams on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, so I'm under a lot of stress and your comments really help! XD  
**

**People who did review, thanks so much!  
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**Reviewers, favouriters and alerters:  
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**Rainbow Fruit Loop  
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**and ilicsm! Thanks again, you guys! X3  
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**Disclaimer: Don't own Death Note. End of.**

* * *

Chapter Two: Pride Before the Fall

Mello hesitated, uncharacteristically for him. His hand had paused a few inches away from connecting with the dark wood of Near's door.

It had only been a day since the ghastly beach trip, but the constant guilt and shame of his previous actions were hanging over his head like a metaphorical hurricane.

But not for much longer.

…Hopefully.

Hey, Jesus said you'd be forgiven by God if only you repented and asked for reconciliation, right? Why shouldn't it work with other people, too?

Coming to a decision, Mello pulled back his hovering fist, and knocked smartly and confidently on the door. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered with the whole courtesy shit, but he was looking for Near's forgiveness; not for ways to piss him off even more.

_Knock knock_, Mello tried again. If the little brat wasn't even fucking home after all that—

"Come in," came the calm voice of his rival, startling the blond for a micro-second.

Mello carefully wiped his face of any emotion, and stepped inside the room.

Though not to an outsider, it was obvious to anyone who knew him well enough that Near had definitely not expected _Mello – _of all people – to visit him willingly.

"What does Mello want here?" Near asked, pulling his right knee to his chest. He looked up at the blond from his position on the floor.

Mello decided to ignore the question for now. "Why didn't you answer the first time I knocked?" he demanded, trying to keep his profanity to a minimum. He figured Near would probably prefer it that way.

"I am unaccustomed to answering the requests for entry to my room. My visitors normally knock before entering immediately," he revealed, his voice sounding slightly bored.

Mello raised an eyebrow slightly, not _quite_ breaking his meticulously formed poker face.

Near had guests?

"However, as I am sure Mello is aware, he is not among the few that occasionally enter my room. Under invitation, that is," the white-haired boy amended, vaguely remembering the numbers of pranks the elder had played on him over the years, most involving a pillow filled with custard.

"…Yeah," Mello's cheeks flushed slightly at the barely-concealed accusation. "Actually, that brings us rather nicely to the reason why I'm here."

Near blinked at him, silently prompting Mello to continue.

Mello inhaled deeply. He was _not_ used to this; he didn't really do the whole 'I'm sorry, please forgive me' thing. He should've brought Matt. "I came to apologise," he admitted.

Near's entire body froze for a nanosecond; a sure sign of his shock. "Mello wants to apologise?" he asked slowly, evidently trying to formulate an explanation as to _why_ the blond would want to do such a thing.

Mello wrinkled his nose slightly in annoyance. "That's what I said, isn't it?"

Near ignored the statement. "I never categorised Mello as one to apologise unnecessarily to another person. Especially not one that he has declared he hates on numerous occasions." the small boy stated, twisting a lock of snowy hair around and around his pale finger.

Mello's eyes bugged. So much for his half-assed attempt at a poker face. "Unnecessarily? _Please_ tell me I heard you wrong!"

Near blinked again, this time in confusion.

Mello took that as an encouragement to continue. "I beat you up; I gave you scars, bruises, cuts - you name it. I've pranked you nearly every day for as long as I can remember, and I verbally abuse you almost constantly. How does an apology for _that_ count as _unnecessary_?" he asked incredulously.

Near raised his eyes, black meeting blue for a long moment.

"I was under the impression that apologies were only given when an individual feels truly sorry for his actions." he stated calmly.

Mello gaped in disbelief. "You think I don't mean it? You think I'm _glad_ you're hurt like this? That I'm glad _I_ hurt you like this? What are you, Near, fucking stupid?" There went his abstinence from profanity. "I can't _believe_ I gave you those scars; I feel physically _sick_ when I look at them! Jesus said, 'whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me'. What does that mean for me? I'm going to go to fucking Hell, Near! I realise that now, when I should have done years ago. I was so…_blinded_ by my ambition to be the best, to become L, that I just…lost control." He took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. He hadn't gone to visit Near to rant at him. "I still hate you, and I doubt that anything could change that, but I guess it's an eye for an eye – there's no possible way you couldn't hate me back for what I've done to you." Mello finished bitterly, his head turned towards the wall rather than the recipient of his apology.

Hopefully Near hadn't seen the ashamed tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He was supposed to be a badass, dammit, not a fucking wimp!

Near was silent for a second, before speaking up, his voice quiet.

"On the contrary. I do not despise Mello in the least."

Mello's head snapped round to face him. "You're kidding, right?"

At a shake of the head from his apparently-not-so-much-anymore nemesis, he ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "Jesus, Near. How can you _not_ hate me? _I_ hate me!"

"That is Mello's own folly. If I can find it in myself to not hate Mello, then he should be perfectly capable of doing so himself." Near replied bluntly.

"…You're abnormal, you know that? Fucking freakish." Mello shook his head disbelievingly.

"That may be the case, but the fact still remains that I do not hold any grudge against Mello for his actions, so there is no need for him to apologise." the small boy stated blankly.

Mello threw his hands up in exasperation. "But _why_? _Why_ don't you hold a grudge? _Why_ don't you hate me? You're making absolutely no fucking sense!"

Near was silent. After a few moments of apparent contemplation, he said slowly, "I do not exactly know why myself, only that I do not."

Mello gaped at him for the second time that morning. "Fuck, Near, if I didn't know better, I'd compare you to a saint! No human can forgive that easily!"

"I am not forgiving Mello. I am just choosing to disregard his previous actions," Near disagreed.

"But you have _scars_!" Mello exploded.

Near shrugged. "They are not permanent."

Mello opened his mouth as if to argue, before shutting it and shaking his head as if to fling the confusion out of his mind.

This was screwing with his head.

"Right," he started when he'd gathered his bearings, "So you believe my apology was pointless, yet you don't forgive me. For some reason, you're deciding _not _to hold a grudge, but still think what I did was wrong. Which it was."

"That is correct." Near calmly affirmed everything.

Mello blinked, before frowning slightly. "Well," he said. "That's alright then, I guess. But I'll promise you this, Near: I'm never going to hurt you again. Ever. I promise. I am not screwing up my chances of achieving eternal salvation more than I already have."

Near eyed him with his dark orbs. His stare had no emotion, but it was still an incredibly powerful gaze. "I do not concern myself with what Mello will do in the future, or his reasons for doing it." he told the blond coldly.

Mello was flabbergasted. Was the kid bipolar or something? First he 'didn't forgive' him so easily, and then he blew him off with a gale icier than the Antarctic! Well, he couldn't be bothered with this. He'd said what he needed to say, and had heard way lot more than he had either wanted or needed.

"Whatever," he said coolly, stalking out the room.

Once he'd 'casually' sauntered halfway down the corridor, he broke out into an almost-sprint to grab the chocolate bar hidden under his mattress, and Matt. He needed to listen to some pointless drivel about Call of Duty.

…Whatever the hell that was.

* * *

"So, like I was saying, I was only on the fifth level, and then the— Mello, are you even listening to me?" Matt said, waving a hand in front of his best friend's face.

"Hm?" Mello snapped back to reality. "Uh…no," he admitted. "Got a lot on my mind, you know?"

Matt eyes narrowed in suspicion behind his orange goggles. "Actually, no, I don't know. What kind of 'a lot'?" he interrogated.

Mello shrugged, feeling exceedingly awkward. "Not much, just the usual. Exams and shit." he offered with a sheepish grin.

Unsurprisingly, Matt didn't buy it. "Sure. 'Exams and shit'. Now, tell me the truth, Mels. What's bugging you? You're never normally this quiet. I haven't even heard you swear properly in _two_ _hours_!"

"Fuck. That good enough for you, douchebag?"

"Perfect," Matt said cheerily. "But seriously, what's up? It has something to do with you disappearing for nearly the whole morning today, doesn't it?" he stated rather than questioned.

Mello froze. Busted. Sometimes he forgot that, although he was ahead of Matt in the exam scores, it wasn't by much. "Ah…" he stalled.

"Bingo. Where did you go, anyway?" Matt asked, curious.

"A walk in the fucking park. I'm not gonna tell you, Matt! Nothing personal, I just don't want anyone to know about it yet." Mello told his friend hotly.

"You went to go and see Near, didn't you?"

Mello's jaw dropped. "What? How in the name of fuck did you figu—uh, come to that incredibly unbelievable conclusion?" he asked incredulously.

"You always tell me _everything_, except for when it's got something to do with Sheepy Boy." Matt told him matter-of-factly, shrugging nonchalantly.

Mello frowned. "I tell you when it's about Near too," he retorted, slightly injured.

Matt waved his forefinger in the air. "Nuh-uh, Mels, you _used _to tell me, but ever since yesterday, when I oh-so-foolishly left you two in the changing rooms together and _something_ happened, and something _did _happen, Mello, I'm not blind," he interrupted himself at Mello's attempt to protest. "And you never told me what happened. So there. Now tell me what happened." he demanded, standing up and looming over the blond for some sort of intimidation factor. It would have been more effective had the person he had been trying to intimidate hadn't been _Mello, _though.

"Nothing fucking happened, Matt! You're deluded!" Mello yelled at the redhead, genuinely exasperated.

Matt donned his 'OMG' face. "Oh Christ. You didn't _shag_ him, did you? 'Cause I'm pretty laidback and all, but mate, that's just _creepy_." To emphasize his statement, he backed away dramatically.

Mello had to physically _claw_ at a nearby cushion so as not to start banging his head against the wall. "No, Matt. I did _not shag the fucking sheep_! Where the hell did you even get that ridiculous idea, anyway? What the fuck have you been watching on that fucking laptop of yours?"

Matt expertly avoided the question. "So, if you didn't rape him, what happened?"

"Matt, seriously, stop asking about what happened. I'll tell you when I'm ready, okay?" Mello promised.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"_Really_ really?"

"_Yes_, Matt."

"Really really _really_ with chocolate chips on top?"

"Gah! Fucking, _yes_, Matt! Do you get it? Yes! Really really really, but fuck it if I'm going to give you chocolate chips; you can get your own fucking chocolate!"

"That's the Mello I know and love."

"…Fuck you."

* * *

A few days later, Mello and Matt were walking to the dining room to have breakfast, when something caught Mello's eye from the landing above them.

He stopped suddenly, craning his neck to get a better look.

"Mello?" Matt asked, confused. "What're you looking for?"

Mello frowned at no one in particular. "Matt, you go to breakfast without me. I'm not feeling too hungry right now." he said lied grimly.

Matt stared as Mello rushed off, taking the stairs two at a time. God knew what he was in such a hurry for.

Anyway, the Apocalypse was officially here.

Mello had opted against chocolate pancakes.

* * *

"Near!" Mello hissed furiously, storming across the landing towards the white-haired boy.

Said boy only looked at him with mild curiosity.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? It's breakfast time; you should be downstairs, not sneaking up to your fucking room on the sly!"

"I am not hungry." Near told him, his voice monotonous.

Mello scoffed. "Don't give me that shit. Everyone loves pancakes. Especially me, so get the fuck downstairs so I can eat them!"

"My being here does not hinder Mello from enjoying his own breakfast." Near reminded him coolly, turning around as if to leave.

"The fuck it doesn't—" Mello grabbed Near's wrist and yanked him backwards, getting a nasty shock when the younger boy suddenly stumbled and fell into his chest, knocking the breath out of him and sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Mello looked up at Near through his now messy fringe. "The fuck? What's wrong with you?" he demanded, flipping them over so Near was the one lying sprawled on his back.

Mello sat up, not seeming to care when Near did the same, but when the latter attempted to stand, Mello pushed him down again, refusing to release his wrists.

"There's something wrong with your ankle. You never fall over without reason, and I didn't pull you _that_ hard." Mello diagnosed, pushing up the white-haired boy's pyjama leg and ignoring his rebellious squirms.

He felt along Near's ankle, stopping when he noticed the smaller boy flinch.

"There, huh?" he asked, helping Near to his feet and guiding him to the bathroom.

When they reached it and Mello had seated Near on the toilet seat, the blond boy rummaged in the First Aid cabinet until he found a tube bandage. He cut it to the right size, and slipped it over Near's pale foot, making sure it fit snugly, but not too tightly.

Cutting off the circulation to his little tootsies probably wouldn't solve the problem.

"Why is Mello taking such pains to make sure that my own injury - which I could easily take care of myself - is correctly treated and supported? I was under the impression he detested me." Near asked curiously.

Mello considered for a second, and then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't even know. I guess it's possible that I don't hate you as much as I thought I did. I don't exactly _like_ you, but…yeah." he voiced his train of thought aloud. "I dunno. I guess I feel slightly overprotective of you because of the injuries I caused you myself. I'm trying to make up for it, I suppose." he concluded easily.

Near was surprised, although he didn't show it. Mello, up to now, had constantly been trying to make his life as difficult as humanly possible. It was a huge contrast to how he was behaving at the moment.

_He must still be trying to gain forgiveness from that God of his,_ Near thought pensively. _It's amazing what some people will do for their faith._

"Anyway," Mello's voice brought Near back to the matter at hand. "How did your ankle get hurt?"

It was a poorly disguised interrogation starter, that was for sure.

"…I fell," Near told him, averting his eyes.

"Bullshit." Mello said without hesitation. "You only use your legs when you absolutely need to. Don't tell me the _one_ time you actually decided to tackle the floor you were careless enough to stack it."

"The floors have been recently polished, and I did not get sufficient friction with my socks." Near insisted stubbornly, still refusing to look Mello in the eye.

Exasperated, Mello grabbed Near's chin and forced the boy to look at him. "You were pushed, weren't you?" he growled, eyes narrow slits of sky blue in the furious storm cloud of his face.

Near only blinked. So Mello was angry again. Evidently his own presence around the elder made it difficult for him to control his hatred for the boy.

Because Mello did hate him, no matter what the boy said to contradict that fact.

Everyone knew it.

"Tell me, Near! Is someone bullying you?" Mello fisted his hand in the front of the smaller boy's white shirt and forced their faces even closer, bringing a hand to his neck to stop him getting away. The blond felt a stab of hypocrisy somewhere deep within his chest, but chose to ignore it.

Near could see the white-hot rage in Mello's icy eyes. He stayed silent.

Mello looked at him for a long second, appearing to search his face for signs of affirmation or denial.

He found nothing, of course.

Gradually, the anger rolling off the blond's body with each suppressing tremor ebbed away, leaving an uncomfortable Near in the loose chokehold of his self-proclaimed rival.

Funny. Like this, it almost seemed as though they were embracing.

"Fuck. I'm scaring you, aren't I?" Mello breathed, letting his shoulders droop and closing his eyes apologetically.

Near frowned slightly. "I was not the least bit scared of Mello. I have no idea what he is talking about."

"That's the problem, Near. You're so fucking proud; you never reveal your moments of weakness to anyone. Not even yourself." Mello opened his eyes again, and stared at the white haired boy in front of him.

Near blinked. The seed of doubt was planted, and was already mutating into something awful that he'd rather not think about.

Was he _really_ that proud?

"Who's bullying you?" Mello asked, backing Near up against the wall. He put his hands on either side of the younger's head, as if to remind him that there was no way out of telling the truth now.

"I am not being harassed in any way, shape or form." Near stubbornly hung on to his well- trusted mask of indifference.

"You see, Near? You're so proud you can't even let anyone close enough to help you. You _are_ being bullied; even a blind man could see it. And I'm not just going to stand by and watch it happen. I may not like you, but I hate those who pick on others because they're motherfucking cunts with no lives of their own even more." The vicious stab of hypocrisy was back. "So, you know what? I'm gonna follow you, Near. I'll be with you _every_ hour of the day possible, until you finally decide to take down that fucking barrier you've built up around yourself and _let people in_. And Matt'll probably be there most of the day too, seeing as he spends the majority of his waking hours around me."

Near stared at him. And stared. And stared.

Finally, he said, "Why is Mello going to such lengths just to force me to show my weaknesses?"

"Meh," Mello said, shrugging. "I'm bored, you're a challenge, and it'll piss you off eventually. Why the hell not?"

And he grinned his ever-so-slightly manic grin.

* * *

**A/N: And now we come to the main part of the story! Woo! I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written; I hope I wasn't waffling! Thanks to Rainbow Fruit Loop for betaing this! XD**

**Please review!  
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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay. It's quite late on Saturday now...but I've had three exams this week, a controlled assessment next week, a mock next week, and about...nine exams next month. I'm a bit stressed for time. Forgive me? :)  
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**I love this chapter. I actually do. Well, I love this entire fic, but this chapter especially! It's a bit random, but oh well! XD  
**

**An extremely disappointing response to last chapter, guys. But I'm not here to moan, so I'll just leave it there! Have fun reading, those who can't be bothered to click the review button (NEW ONE KYAA!) and write a couple of sentences... *shameless attempt at guilt-tripping* XP  
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**Thanks to those who did review/favourite/alert! Which are:  
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**TheAUWalker  
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**BeyondTheSunset  
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**DarkAngelJudas  
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**and Rainbow Fruit Loop, my marvellous beta! Love you all!  
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**Disclaimer: Me no own Death Note. You understand?**

* * *

Chapter Three: Those Beloved Awkward Moments

Near stepped out of his room, and started to make his way down to breakfast.

He had barely passed through his doorway before he collided with a black-clad chest.

"Yo, midget," Mello smirked at him, not looking even slightly smug. "Hope you like company."

Near looked at him blankly, until his sleep-fogged mind processed what that particular comment meant.

Mello was starting his apparently-non-stalkerish-stalking of his former nemesis today.

And he'd brought a striped redhead.

"Hey, Near!" Matt waved cheerfully when the white-haired boy's gaze slid over to him and his obnoxious goggles.

Near just stared.

"If you're hoping that we'll get creeped out and go away if you stare at us for long enough, you're very wrong. I have chocolate and Matt has Mario. We're good for at least a couple of years before he starts contracting arthritis at seventeen and the fucking doctor makes good on his threat to put me on a diabetic's diet." Mello informed him, grabbing the back of Near's collar and dragging him forcibly down the various flights of stairs. "Come on, breakfast's fucking cereal again, but apparently Roger's put Coco Pops on the table."

Near had to physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes. If Mello really _was_ going to stick around for as long as he was saying, he did _not _need to piss the blond off somehow. That could come later, after he'd digested his meal enough to not vomit it up when he was punched in the stomach.

But Mello had sworn not to hurt him again, hadn't he?

Near blinked. It was strange not to have to worry about his physical health anymore. Because it was true; he _didn't_ have to worry. Mello was most definitely a 'man' of his word, and if he said he wasn't going to beat Near up, then he wasn't going to beat Near up.

Nevertheless, his mental health was still at risk. Mello seemed to derive some sort of twisted pleasure from annoying him to distraction.

"So, Short Stuff," Matt started, turning Near's attention to the redhead. "Mello won't tell me why we're following you. Care to enlighten me?" he asked, feigning nonchalance, when, really, his curiosity was burning a figurative hole in the seat of his pants.

"Well, basically—mmph!" Near began his story, before being silenced by Mello's hand clamped roughly to his mouth.

"No spilling, Near. I don't want him to know just yet." the blond told him, not risking moving his hand to hear Near's answer. The boy was more than likely to tell Matt what had transpired out of sheer spite.

Near was beyond answering anyway, what with being completely distracted by the effort of keeping the flush from the feel of Mello's rough palm on his lips confined solely to his ears, which were hidden underneath his hair. What was wrong with him?

"Aw, Mels, you're such a meanie. What if Near _wants_ to tell me?" Matt whined, giving Mello full-blown, unashamed puppy eyes.

"I don't give a fuck what Near wants. If he tries to spill, I swear, I'll stick something disgusting in his mouth." Mello snarled, already irritated with his best friend's persistence.

Matt sniggered. "You do realise that only fuels my belief that you two are shagging, right?" he asked the blond, making sure to sprint the rest of the way down the stairs before Mello, lumbered with Near, could process the delightful innuendo he had presented.

"Matt!" the blond screamed after him, vowing mentally to strangle the boy with his own PlayStation cord when he next got the chance.

"Mmwho, uo kahn ffake uoor han aooay nnou." Near said, still managing to sound bored even when he was spouting garbage.

"Speak fucking properly, you prick, I can't understand you!" Mello growled at him, before realising that he still had his hand plastered over the boy's lips.

He took it away hurriedly, and wiped his hand on his trousers. "Right. Now what the hell were you saying?"

"I said, 'Mello, you can take your hand away now', but, obviously, that particular statement is unnecessary right at this moment." Near said, prising the blond's hand off his collar as well. He smoothed out his shirt. "Also, for future reference, I am perfectly capable of going downstairs myself."

Mello didn't answer, but grabbed Near's shirt again as soon as the boy let his guard down.

Near resigned himself to being dragged down the stairs at a much-too-fast pace. Obviously, Mello was in a contrary mood that day.

* * *

"Oi, Mello, lemme have a bit of your chocolate?" Matt pleaded, not tearing his eyes away from the screen of his PSP.

"Fuck no. Get your own, you lazy ass." his friend retorted, snapping a couple of squares off the oversized bar of chocolate he was holding in his hand.

"Your teeth will rot."

"Your eyes will fall out."

"Not before your teeth do the same."

"I can see your eyes rotting right this second, Matty."

"Well, I can see your teeth falling out!"

"…That's bullshit."

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"No, it's not!"

"_Yes_, it fucking is!"

Near resisted the urge to start banging his head on any hard object nearby. If this was the way Mello planned to force him to show his emotions, it sure was working.

Did they fight like this every day?

Although, compared with what he and Mello had done in the past, this couldn't really class as fighting.

…But it sure as hell was a lot more annoying.

"Would Matt and Mello mind keeping quiet for a second so I can suppress the urge to kill them both?" Near asked calmly, interrupting the argument.

Matt's eyes bugged, and he stared at Near disbelievingly. Mello's mouth just fell open a bit.

Near tried not to stare at his full lower lip, instead choosing to focus on the floor to his immediate right.

"I…I just got a death threat from_ Near_." Matt sharply observed, getting over his amazement long enough to actually form a coherent sentence.

"Congrats on the revelation, dumbass." Mello rolled his eyes at the redhead, already over his minor surprise. After all, this outcome had been the aim of the entire staged dialogue.

"Don't call me a dumbass when you eat enough chocolate to kill a lesser mortal without even bothering to think what it'll do to your teeth!" Matt cleverly turned the conversation back round to the beginning again.

"You _are_ a dumbass, because you have the audacity to lecture me on my chocolate consumption when you spend pretty much every hour of the day and night on some form of technology, without thinking what it'll do to your fucking tiny brain!"

"_You_ have a fucking tiny brain!"

"Even if I do, it's still larger than yours!"

"How so, Einstein?"

"I'm ahead of you in the ranks. And Einstein's brain was actually abnormally small, but very compact."

"Nerd."

"Computer geek."

"Chocaholic."

"Bastard."

"…That was a lame comeback, Mels."

"You're a lame comeback!"

"That was even lamer."

Near got up and left the room.

"Hey, Sheep, not so fast! I'm not letting you out of my sight, remember?" Mello raced after him. "Come on, Matt!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"Hell no. I'm in the middle of the boss level!"

"What-the-fuck-ever," Mello breathed irritably. He followed Near to the bathroom. "What are you going to do _here_, of all places?" he asked scathingly.

Near just levelled a look at him.

"…Oh. Right. I'll…just wait outside, then." Mello slithered out the room.

Near sat down on the still-closed toilet. He didn't actually need to use the bathroom, but he _did _desperately need to get some alone time. He'd had no idea how well Mello's plan would work. He could feel the irritation inside him constantly swelling; it was only a matter of time before he exploded.

Trying to soothe his annoyance and general frustration, Near took some deep breaths to calm himself down.

He'd been doing so for just five minutes before the door burst open, revealing an enraged blond.

Due to Health and Safety, Roger was forbidden from putting a lock on the bathroom door, which led to the obvious consequences.

"You're not even using the fucking loo! Get out!" Mello glared at him, attempting to grab the boy's ankles and yank him off the seat. Near hung on.

This only caused the blond to pull harder, subsequently tugging on Near's bandaged ankle.

The white-haired boy winced, letting out a small whine of pain. It really did hurt. A _lot_.

Suddenly, the hands on his person were snatched away, leaving his ankles unpleasantly cold, though less pained.

Near sat up properly again, and saw Mello with his back to him, shoulders hunched.

"Sorry," Mello muttered, and Near's eyebrows raised a fraction. Mello never apologised. "I forgot about your ankle."

"No harm done." Near lied, already feeling the worsened state of his joint. It would take at least three weeks to completely heal now.

"Bullshit." Mello saw through his lie with ease. "I hurt you almost constantly; I can't even help it anymore." he whispered, obviously ashamed of himself.

Near hopped off the toilet and limped over to the blond. He reached out to touch the boy's shoulder, but stopped when he heard him sniff.

"Is Mello…crying?" he asked. The thought troubled him beyond what he thought was possible. Mello just didn't cry. Ever.

Mello turned his head to look at him with exasperated, completely dry eyes. "No. I have a cold, Puffball."

Near was silent. He should have known. Although it was the height of summer, Mello had somehow managed to catch a mild sniffle, and had been complaining about it for the last month.

"What's wrong with you? I mean, you're not exactly a chatty guy, but you've said all of five sentences since I saw you this morning! Do I make you feel uncomfortable or something?" Mello demanded rather than asked, shoving his face too close to Near's for the latter's comfort.

"Frankly put, yes." Near told him, retracting his own head as soon as it became clear Mello wasn't pulling back any time soon.

"Good. That was the point." Mello said simply, grabbing Near's hand and leading him out of the bathroom fairly slowly for him, taking the white-haired boy's injured ankle into consideration.

When they were about two metres away from the door, Mello suddenly froze, and then shoved Near backwards into the tiled room again.

"What does Mello think he's doing?" Near asked wearily, trying to ignore the…suggestive position they were in (Mello had purchase on both his wrists and was holding them above Near's head with his body pressed against the other boy's).

Mello narrowed his eyes at him and kicked the bathroom door shut. "What about the bruises and stuff _I_ gave you? Are they healed?"

"Almost completely," Near lied for the second time that day, shifting his hips uncomfortably, and then halting abruptly after that brought even more reason to feel awkward.

"Like fuck they are. Let me see." Mello demanded, using one hand to pin both of Near's wrists to the wall and the other to push up the boy's shirt.

Near struggled, worming one hand out of the blond's grasp and using it to try to push him away by the chest.

It worked about as well as a chocolate iron.

"Mello, release my person right now." Near ordered, increasing his struggles.

"Hell no, not until you show me your chest." the blond replied, forcing them both to the floor and gripping Near's hips with his knees to minimise his wriggling. He then succeeded in shoving up the other boy's shirt another few inches before the bathroom door opened.

"Ah! Jesus, guys, take my poor virgin eyes into consideration, will you?" Matt yelled, covering his lenses with both hands. "And Mello, don't even _try_ telling me it's not what it looks like. If you do, I'm going straight to Roger, and you know what a homophobe _he _is!"

Mello groaned, releasing Near and flouncing out of the room. "I give the fuck up!" he announced to no one in particular.

Obviously convincing Matt of his still-intact virginity was not going to be easy.

Or possible, even.

* * *

**A/N: Ah, lol...can't get enough awkward moments... XD**

**My personal favourite bit was when Matt and Mello were 'arguing'. And yes, I have favourite bits of my own fics. Deal with it. XP  
**

**Hum hum...I am trying to think of a bribe for people to review. Cyber cookies? Cyber cake? Cyber baked alaska? I'm a freakin' good cyber chef, if I do say so myself. XDD  
**

**I can't remember what happens in the next chapter. Lemme check.  
**

**AWWWWWWWW! X3 so cuttte...  
**

**If that doesn't get you reviewing, iunno what will.  
**

**Sorry for being a review whore, everyone. XD at least I'm not not updating (? double negativvvess...) in revenge, right?  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Phew, finally, the week's over... (well, school week, anyway)  
**

**I have been dying these past few days. From stress. Because I only just realised I don't know anything about Biology and I have an exam in...three weeks. And a week of that is holiday. Crappp...  
**

**Also, I failed my English assessment, probably. I went two hundred and sixty four words over the words limit, so I think they might notice...  
**

**And before you ask, my teacher said we'd get penalised. Double crapp... DX  
**

**Oh well! Let's get off the subject of exam season! In case you didn't know, I am English. (Well. Half.) I live in England. And I am currently wearing short shorts and a tank top. IN ENGLAND. It's boiling here! And sunny! Global warming is...immense. It's about the same temperature as Cape Town! But more humid. Ick.  
**

**A better response to the last chapter (Yay!), so I am a very happy bunny right now. X3 Bunnies ftw!  
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**and CodenameOokami! XD Luv ya!  
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**Disclaimer: ...Do I need to say more?**

* * *

Chapter Four: Trusting Smiles

"Why does Mello look so depressed this morning?" Near asked, not completely sure why he even cared.

"…I told Matt why we're following you."

"…Ah. I see. And what did Matt say?"

"Nothing. He just started pissing himself." Mello ground out, obviously irritated. "And then, when I asked him why the fuck he was laughing at me, he said, 'Mels, you're so oblivious'. The fuck is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Near didn't answer. It was obvious Mello was going to continue without any prompting whatsoever.

"And _then_ he goes and says he's not going to hang around with us anymore, because _apparently_, we need our 'alone time'." Mello spat, gesturing quotation marks into the air.

Near remained silent.

"I mean, what the fuck? Does he _still _think that we're shagging, even though I already told him everything? I swear, what a dumbass." Mello rolled his eyes. "So now I've got to spend the entire time alone with _you_, of all people, until you decide to show some fucking emotion. _And _tell me who's bullying you!"

Near kept his eyes on the ground. "As I have already informed Mello, no one is bullying me." he stated calmly, successfully igniting the Mello Rage.

"Oh my fucking _God_! Are you _still _trying to convince me about that? Because it's _obvious _that—"

"It was a one-time thing." Near interrupted him evenly.

"_So_? I don't give a shit whether it was a one-time thing or a habit; I'm gonna kick their asses for—" Mello broke off, realising where his sentence was going.

Near eyed him curiously. Mello wanted to protect him. _That_ was a first.

"For…For picking on weak twerps like you," Mello finished lamely, averting his eyes from Near's dark, searching orbs.

Though his curiosity was piqued as to why Mello was suddenly being protective, Near decided to let it go, as it was obvious that Mello was not comfortable with the current conversation topic. Also, Near didn't want the Mello Rage to evolve into Mello Wrath. The blond was decidedly pissy today, what with his best friend 'abandoning him'.

"Look, Near, just tell me who did it. I won't make a fuss or anything, I swear, but I want—I _need_ to know, okay? Just so that they can't hurt you anymore. I need my reconciliation, dammit!" Mello scowled at the floor of Near's bedroom, practically burning a hole in the younger's favourite robot.

Near sighed in defeat. It looked like Mello had finally won an argument.

"It was Jacques," he admitted quietly.

Mello predictably exploded. "That motherfucker! I'm gonna rip his balls off and tie them to his forehead!" He jumped to his feet and attempted to storm out of the room, but Near attached himself limpet-style to his leg.

"Mello promised that he wouldn't make a fuss, remember? Just leave it," he tried to convince the blond. "It was definitely the first and last time it'll happen—Jacques even apologised afterwards."

"He did?" Mello's anger deflated visibly, and he stopped trying to kick Near away. "Well, in that case, I guess I'll only wish for him to burn in Hell. But seriously, Near, if he or anyone else tries something like that again, you tell me and I'll—"

"Yes, Mello, I know," Near sighed, trying to suppress a chuckle at Mello's hotheadedness.

Mello stared at him in disbelief. "Near, did you just smile?" he asked incredulously.

The corners of Near's lips dropped back to their original place again. "No…" he tried, not really expecting Mello to believe him.

Mello grasped his chin, tilting his head up to get a better look. "No, that was definitely a smile. Fuck, Near, I didn't even realise you _could_ smile!"

"I am flattered." Near deadpanned.

"Well, you can't blame me; I'm just telling the truth!" Mello grinned.

Near looked away, flustered for reasons beyond his understanding.

"Hey, I just smiled at you. The least you could fucking do is smile back!" Mello huffed, smile vanishing as he frowned at the other boy. "Come on, let's see you smile again," he demanded, though Near had absolutely no clue why the blond was so eager to see it again.

"No." Near bluntly refused.

"Smile."

"No."

"I said, _fucking smile_!" Mello yelled. Then, he grinned evilly. "If you don't smile, I'll tickle you."

Near blinked, saying nothing.

Mello looked at him incredulously. "Are you…not ticklish?" he asked, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

Near shrugged. "I wouldn't know; I have never been—"

"You've _never_ been tickled?" If Mello was shocked before, he was downright flabbergasted now. "_How_? Is that even _legal_?"

"This is a genius farm, Mello. We aren't very legal people." Near informed him in a monotone.

"And now you've made _a joke_. Jesus Christ…What the fuck happened to you overnight?"

Near didn't answer.

"Well, never mind. I just can't believe you haven't been tickled. Ever. Are you sure Matt and I didn't, once?" the blond asked.

"Very sure."

"Well, then, I'll have to remedy _that_!"

Mello jumped on him. He thrust his hands under Near's shirt, running his fingers up and down his pale stomach. When Near didn't react, Mello narrowed his eyes and moved his fingers to beneath the boy's arms, scrabbling at the skin there.

This went on for at least five minutes, with Mello sporadically changing the positions of his fingers, each time not getting so much as a _smirk_ out of Near.

Eventually he gave up. "Okay, fine. You're not ticklish." he concluded finally.

Near stared at him. "It took Mello so long just to deduce that fact?"

"Hey, I wanted to make sure." Mello rolled his eyes, still feeling the bizarrely pleasant sensation of Near's smooth skin underneath his fingertips, even though he'd removed his digits a while back. "You're bruises have healed up, though; I can barely see them anymore. The scars will take a bit longer, but none of them seem permanent." Mello seemed quite cheerful at this observation.

"And then Mello will be able to leave after the evidence of his guilt is gone." Near said. It wasn't a question.

Mello looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The only reason Mello is here is because he feels remorse over the abuse he has inflicted on me," Near ignored Mello's wince at his brutal description of the blond's previous deeds. "and because he, for some reason, wishes to make me show my emotions, a goal that has already been achieved."

"It has?" Mello's brow wrinkled in thought.

"Mello saw my smile, did he not?"

"Well, yeah, but…I dunno. I guess… you _have _shown emotion."

Near froze. Was Mello just going to pack up and leave now?

"But…I still feel incomplete, you know? Like there's something missing." Mello sighed, running a hand through his hair, messing up the neatly-combed bob.

Near resisted the strange temptation to run his own fingers through the silky strands as well.

These random impulses were getting to be a nuisance.

"Your trust," Mello suddenly blurted out spinning around to look at Near.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't trust me, not completely. I think that's what's missing," Mello told him musingly.

"And what does Mello propose to do about it?" Near asked sceptically, raising a pale eyebrow.

"Uh…to get you to trust me?" Mello said slowly. The 'duh' in his voice was practically palpable.

"And how does Mello think he'll do that?"

"I don't know. It's a thing that'll come with time, I guess."

Near breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. That implied Mello wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

Although Near still had absolutely no idea why that realisation relieved him so.

Near contemplated briefly, then decided to ask the blond the question that was buzzing around in his mind. "Do Mello and Matt trust each other?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course! We're best friends. We tell each other pretty much everything." Mello revealed airily, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

Near chewed that over for a while before asking another question. "Do Mello and Matt know each other's real names?"

Mello looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, he told me when we were ten, and I told him right after."

Near inhaled sharply. In their world, a name was a very dangerous weapon; in the wrong hands, it could kill a person. And yet Mello and Matt had bestowed the other with the knowledge of their actual names, believing without a doubt that neither of them would use it for the wrong reasons.

So that was trust.

After a long silence, Mello spoke up again. "So…does anyone know _your_ name?" he asked curiously.

"Only L," came the quiet reply.

"I see. Do you think you'll tell anyone else?"

"…I'm not sure. Possibly, but I do not have anyone I trust that much yet." Near explained.

Mello nodded in understanding. "I hope you find that person soon, Near," he told the other boy quietly, "It's like a huge burden has been lifted off your shoulders when you know there's someone you can talk about everything with."

Near remained silent, twisting his snowy hair around and around his finger.

"Oh, come on, I'm sick of this." Mello declared, grabbing Near's hands and dragging him to his feet. "Let's go see Matt and convince him that we're _not_ fucking."

Near obediently followed Mello out of the room, tilting his head downwards so the other could not see the small smile that now graced his lips.

He had a feeling he'd be finding a person he could trust very soon.

* * *

**A/N: Aw, sweet...**

**Was that cute enough for you? Probably not...but oh well!  
**

**I always envisioned Matt and Mello's friendship to be one of undying trust. So this came in! XDD yay.  
**

**Does anyone think Near's OOC in this one...? I hope not. But don't flame if you do. I will...um...make you do all my homework for me! Now THAT'S a fate worse than death!  
**

**Please review!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, I know this is a day early (yay?), but I just remembered I'm going on holiday tomorrow morning, and therefore will not be able to update. So, here it is! *cheers***

**This chapter's pretty funny (in my opinion) and I really like it, but I have absolutely no clue what you guys'll think so tell me in a review? *puppy eyes*  
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**That's all I really have to say. Pack pack pack revise pack is my schedule for...right now. Woot. XD  
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**Disclaimer: What do you think would've happened if Death Note belonged to me? On second thought, don't answer that.**

* * *

Chapter Five: Role Reversal

Near raised an eyebrow at the pure irony of the situation before him.

Mello had said he'd stick by Near's side until he showed emotion. Oh no, wait, it had changed. Until Near trusted the blond. Yes, that was the new goal.

He'd said he was going to protect the smaller boy from harm and look after him if harm managed to get to him.

It was uncharacteristic, but true. Near knew Mello well enough to dismiss the thought that the blond could have been lying, or undedicated.

What he hadn't expected was for harm to get to _Mello_.

"Matt, what on Earth—"

"Before you freak, Squirt, can you show me a place where I can put him? He's bloody heavy." Matt jiggled the only semi-lucid Mello, who was currently being lugged around rather unbecomingly by the redhead.

"The bed will be fine. Why didn't Matt get Mello to stay in his room?" Near frowned, concerned, though he masked it well.

"He insisted on stalking you. Really, it's getting creepy now. Y'hear that, Mels? You're creepy." Matt poked the blond, receiving a glare for his trouble.

"Fuck off, Matt," he growled irritably, the light sheen of sweat on his face horribly visible in the bright light from the window next to the bed.

"Nuh-uh, you look like you're about to croak. I'm going nowhere. At least it'll get me off lessons." Matt fished a PSP out of his pocket, plonked himself down in Near's armchair, and started fiddling with the buttons.

"What is wrong with Mello?" Near asked the blond, gingerly seating himself on the bed, seeing as the only other option was the floor, and that was dirty from Matt's boots.

Mello snorted. "Fucking fever. I don't even know how I got it."

Matt spoke up from his corner. "It might have something to do with insisting on going outside last night, even though it was hailing like shit."

Near blinked. "Yes, I believe the two events are quite closely linked."

"Oi, no sarcasm, Sheepy, it doesn't suit you," Mello snapped. Apparently, when he was ill, he became even more of a complete bitch than usual.

Near regarded him coolly. "If Mello wishes to stay here, he may as well be polite," he told the blond, folding his arms.

Mello rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I need water."

No one moved.

Mello snarled. "I need water; someone get some for me!"

Not a flinch.

"_Please_?"

Immediately, both Matt and Near were animated.

"D'you want it in a bottle rather than a glass, Mels?"

"Would Mello like some dry crackers to sooth his stomach as well?"

"How about an extra pillow?"

"Or would Mello prefer a soft toy to hold for comfort?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and hell no." Mello rapped off. They both looked at him expectantly. "_Thank you_," he forced out.

When he had possession of all three things, he added, "I hate you both, by the way."

He was answered with a stuffed rabbit in the mouth, courtesy of Matt.

* * *

"Matt, I must insist that you go to classes. Your grades have dropped slightly in the past few weeks, and you really can't afford to miss out on these lessons." Roger had decided to make an appearance in the boys' makeshift hospital.

"What? But I don't even care about the position of L! I can catch up on the classes, like Mello, can't I?" the redhead complained loudly.

"Absolutely not. I am not foolish enough to believe you actually will."

"But Mello's sick!" Matt whined.

Roger sighed. "I'm sure Near - who can afford to miss out on a few classes - will be able to handle it. At least, I hope he will." Roger eyed Mello suspiciously. Like everyone else, he had heard of Mello and Near's sudden 'friendship', but was less eager to believe it than most.

"I won't kill him," Mello sighed, rolling his eyes when Roger looked away.

"There. Now Matt, hop along to Physics."

"But I hate Physics!" the boy groaned.

"That is not my problem," Roger stated calmly, grasping the redhead's shoulder and leading him firmly out of the room.

Near and Mello watched them leave in silence.

As soon as the door was closed, Mello exploded. "Who the fuck does he think he is? Matt scores only dropped by a couple of marks, and he _would _have caught up! …Eventually," he amended quickly.

Near looked at the floor. "Is Mello really that averse to having to stay with me alone for an entire day without other company?"

"What?" Mello was shocked. "No! I thought we already established I don't hate you anymore! It's just, Matt's gonna be pissy for the rest of the day now."

"I see," Near said monotonously.

Mello groaned in exasperation. "For the love of God, Near, you're almost as sceptical as Roger! I. Don't. Hate. You. In fact, I think I might actually _like _you a bit now."

Near's eyes snapped up to meet the blond's. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me: I. Like. You." Mello blushed. "That sounded a bit weird. Not in _that _way, don't worry."

Near had no idea what he was talking about.

"I'm not gay for you, Near," Mello clarified. Evidently, the white-haired boy's emotions were indeed much more prominent on his features nowadays.

"I never thought you were," Near told the feverish boy. "Now, would Mello like some more water?"

"Yes. _Please_."

Near smiled. It appeared Mello was learning.

* * *

Later that day, Mello's fever went down slightly, which put the blond in a decidedly better mood.

Near removed his hand from Mello's forehead. "Yes, Mello's temperature is definitely less extreme. It appears this fever is only a one-day sickness."

Mello nodded thoughtfully. "That's good. I don't want to have to do too much catch-up work when I'm back to classes."

Near agreed quietly.

The two sat in silence for a while, until the white-haired boy spoke up again. "Mello appears to have been affected by this…_arrangement_ as much as, if not more than, myself."

Mello looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Formerly, Mello was constantly spouting expletives, whether happily or not. Today, however, I have only heard him swear three times, despite the fact that he is not feeling well."

Mello hummed thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. I didn't really notice it myself, but…hm, Roger'll be pleased."

Near smiled slightly. Yes, the director of Wammy's most definitely would be pleased.

"I like it when you smile," Mello surprised him by saying, "You look so much more friendly."

Near blinked. "I thank Mello for his compliment…?" he said unsurely.

"No, really, it looks good."

Near raised his eyebrows. "Maybe Mello's fever hasn't receded as much as I previously thought."

Mello looked exasperated. "Okay, if you're not going to believe me, I'll shut up then."

"Mello does not need to. I will listen to whatever he wishes to say, as long as it's sane and serious."

"Like I ever say anything else!" the blond scoffed.

Near raised an eyebrow.

"Do not say anything," Mello warned him, scowling.

Near obeyed.

They sat in peaceful silence until Mello attempted to get up.

"What does Mello think he is doing?"

"Duh. Getting up, what does it look like?"

"Actually, it rather looks like an overturned tortoise trying to right itself." Near smirked.

"…Shut up." Mello gave it a few more tries, and then gave up. "Dammit, I hate being this weak."

Near got up with a sigh. "What does Mello need?"

"The toilet."

Near blinked. "That may be a problem."

* * *

"Careful! You nearly walked me into the doorpost!"

"My apologies. Can Mello stop stepping on my feet now?"

"It's not like I can help it! You're the one who's refusing to let me put more than two centimetres' space between us!"

"If it was any more than that, Mello would keel over."

"I would not!"

"Shall we try it?"

"…No…"

"Well, then. I suggest Mello keeps quiet and focuses all his energy on walking to the bathroom."

"Fine, fine." Mello grumbled.

Mello and Near entered the small, tiled room, the former leaning heavily on his companion's shoulders. Near had an arm slung round the blond's waist to support his back further.

Carefully, the two made their way over to the toilet, Mello steadying himself on the sink so that Near could let go.

"Okay, I'm fine now. You can go." he dismissed the white-haired boy.

Near left the room quietly.

While waiting for Mello to finish, Near leaned against the closed bathroom door, closing his eyes and drifting through his thoughts. It was rather calming, until he heard a loud flush followed by an equally loud thump and curse.

He opened the door hurriedly, seeing Mello prostrated on the floor, cradling his head.

"Is Mello alright?" he asked worriedly, hurrying over to help the boy.

"Yeah, I just slipped and bashed my head on the sink. It bloody hurts…" Mello gritted his teeth.

Near helped him push himself into a seated position, allowing the other boy to lean into his chest for support. "Let me take a look. There may be a serious injury," Near said, gently feeling along the back of Mello's head for the site where a large bump would undoubtedly already be forming.

Mello let him, although he tutted exasperatedly. "It's not serious. I don't even think I'll need to go to the nurse."

"Mello should have gone to the nurse already for his fever," Near retorted, his fingers halting over the area of collision indicated by Mello's pained hiss.

He leaned closer to Mello's head, warm breath softly brushing across the back of the blond's neck, causing the boy to shiver. Near carefully parted the soft, golden strands to examine the slightly reddened blotch of scalp underneath.

"Mello was right; there does not appear to be any grave injury. However, he should be careful while walking back, so as not to fall again," the white-haired boy informed him, helping Mello to his feet again.

Mello scoffed. "Like I didn't know that already."

It took about three minutes for the two to re-enter Near's bedroom, Mello hindered as he was.

When they walked through the door, they were greeted enthusiastically by Matt, who had finished his lessons and was now seated back in Near's armchair. "Hey, you two. Been out on a hot date?"

Mello glared at his friend with scorning eyes. "No. How long have you been here?"

"Not long. Five minutes?" Matt guessed, shrugging.

"Right. What time is it?" Mello asked. He was a bit disorientated, having spent the entire day in bed.

"Around five. Roger says if you're not going to eat, you should start trying to get to sleep at around seven, so you'll have time to heal or whatever."

"What? Seven? How old does he think I am?" the blond asked irritably.

"I have no clue. But I'd listen to him if I were you, Mels; you look wiped out."

"I have to agree with Matt." Near contributed.

Mello scowled. "It's not fair how you two gang up on me. What are we going to do for an hour, anyway? You two're going to dinner at six, right?"

"That's right!" Matt affirmed.

"I can bring Mello something if he wishes to eat as well," Near offered.

"Nah, I don't think I'm quite up to it yet. _Thank you_," he added quickly at the other two's pointed stares.

"Alright. We should be finished eating in three quarters of an hour, but Roger says I can't sleep in the armchair here, so I'll have to go back to our room. Don't get too frisky, you two." Matt winked conspiratorially, before getting the stuffed bunny he'd shoved in Mello's mouth that morning chucked back at his head _hard_.

"Piss off, dickhead. What should we do now, anyway?" Mello reminded his audience about his previous question.

"I have some board games in my cupboard, if Mello and Matt are interested," Near said quietly.

"Cool! What do you have?" Matt asked enthusiastically.

"Monopoly, chess, checkers, snakes and ladders and dominoes."

"I wanna play Monopoly," Mello demanded. The two looked at him. "_Please_?"

"Monopoly it is!" Matt announced.

* * *

"Here is Mello's food," Near announced his return, a plate of chicken and broccoli in tow.

"Huh? I said not to get me anything." Mello was confused.

"I thought Mello might have changed his mind," Near explained, presenting the blond with the plate of frankly delicious-smelling food.

"Oh, alright." Mello stabbed a piece of chicken with the fork Near had given him and put it in his mouth. "Thanks," he mumbled around the masticated food.

"Mello is welcome."

Near cleared up their previously abandoned game of Monopoly while Mello finished his meal.

After he'd swallowed his last mouthful, Mello said, "I feel better now. Thanks again."

"It's good that Mello is healing. It is nearly time for him to sleep now, though, so Mello should probably start resting."

"God, you sound like Roger," Mello rolled his eyes, chuckling lightly. He sank into the pillow contentedly, before a thought struck him. "Near, where are you going to sleep?"

Near pondered for a moment. "The armchair?" he tried, already knowing it would be futile.

"Bullshit. Come on, we can share the bed if you want." Mello folded back the covers and shuffled over to the side, leaving Near more room.

"I'm afraid I would prevent Mello from getting to sleep if I were to do that," Near cautioned, not making any move to enter the bed.

"Nah, you wouldn't. Me and Matt share a bed sometimes, if one of us is ill." Mello revealed, beckoning the other boy closer.

Near tentatively sat down, but did not move to make himself more comfortable.

"I'm not infectious, if that's what you're worried about. The nurse came while you were eating and gave me the all-clear." Near still looked hesitant. "God, Near! I _want_ you with me, okay?" Mello pulled him down impatiently, throwing the covers over their bodies. "Now shut up and go to sleep, so that I can do the same."

Near had never slept as well as he did that night, curled up in Mello's arms.

* * *

**A/N: D'aww...those two are so cute! **

**Near and Matt trying to teach Mello manners and it working was a surprise for me too! (Yeah, I surprise myself with my own fics. Guess what my IQ is!) (I don't even know what my IQ is...)  
**

**Hope you enjoyed, and review please! XD  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: OMG, I'M SO SORRY THIS IS LATE! (Even if it is only by a day)  
**

**Seriously, I completely forgot; this week's been hectic, which is ridiculous, because I'm SUPPOSED to be on vacation. On Friday I had my baby cousins round and then Saturday I went to Cambridge for relatives' birthday parties. Three of them on the same day. Yes, really. XD  
**

**I should be revising for my exams today (I have eight BOOOO!) but I have cramp. Those of you who don't know what cramp is, it's sort of like random contractions that are really painful. I'm never having kids. Btw, those male readers out there...sorry for the awkwardness. XP  
**

**I love this chapter...I just do.  
**

**Next one's the last, though. Sorry y'all! DX  
**

**Great response to last chapter, though! Cheered me up no end, even though I'm definitely gonna fail statistics because I read your reviews while I should have been revising. Oops.  
**

**Thank you very very much to:  
**

**DarkAngelJudas  
**

**chana080310  
**

**Rainbow Fruit Loop  
**

**DeathNoteLuvr16  
**

**and LuLu from LaLa land B13! Yeah, on second thoughts, that ain't so much after all, but whatevs! XD  
**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I still do not own Death Note.**

* * *

Chapter Six: Experimental Affection

Groggily, Mello cracked open his eyes, despite his unwillingness to wake up. He was warmer and more comfortable than he had ever been in his so-far short life, and, even in the stupors of sleep, the blond knew why.

Mello gazed fondly down at the white puffball that was currently latched onto his chest, hands fisted loosely in his pyjama shirt. Near was the reason why he was now feeling well enough to probably go to lessons that day, and he just looked too adorable when he was asleep.

Deciding that lessons could go to hell – he certainly wasn't waking Near up now – Mello snuggled deeper under the covers, drawing his arms that were looped around Near's waist towards his own torso so as to hold the other boy tighter.

The slight motion (for which Mello mentally kicked himself when his companion began to stir) seemed to jostle the white-haired boy awake, and he made a small, sleep-filled noise of protest, before releasing his grip on Mello's shirt to rub his eyes.

As he forced his lids to open, Near did not express any surprise, shock or horror at their current position. On the contrary; his lips curved slightly to form a gentle smile.

"I appreciate Mello's attempt to let me lie in, but there are classes we must attend, as both of us missed our lessons yesterday. We should get up," he said, though he made no move to do so.

"Nah, I don't wanna. We can catch up later, can't we?" Mello pouted, and nuzzled into the younger boy's neck.

Near shivered, closing his eyes, but soon came to his senses and snapped them open again. He grasped Mello's shoulders and pushed him gently away, causing him to sit upright in the process.

"No, we need to get up now. As it is, we have already missed breakfast."

Mello glanced at the clock on his bedside table, affirming Near's statement.

"Fine, fine," he conceded, throwing the covers back off their bodies and standing up. We should go now. It's Politics first, isn't it?

* * *

Mello sat in Statistics, the one class he didn't have with Near, and tried to suppress his urge to commit suicide out of sheer boredom.

The redhead next to him wasn't getting much of a better deal out of it either, as Matt's head sank lower and lower towards the desk they were sitting at.

Mello poked him in the ribs to jolt him awake for the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes, in case the teacher asked him a question.

"Thanks," his friend muttered sleepily, eyes barely open behind the orange goggles he was wearing.

"Don't mention it. Do the same for me when I go to sleep?" Mello asked, not bothering to use 'if', as they both knew the scenario was unavoidable.

"Sure, you don't even have to ask," Matt grinned. "So, how's Fluffy getting on? You two get steamy last night?" he inquired cheekily, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Mello narrowed his eyes and leaned in close to his friend's ear, hissing viciously, "Do not make me castrate you in front of twenty-odd people, Matty. And we are _not_fucking, for the last time!" he whispered, a bit too loudly for the otherwise silent classroom.

"Are we interrupting?" came the sarcastically pleasant voice of the instructor, who was standing in front of their desk quite menacingly for a middle-aged woman. When she had got there was a mystery to both boys.

"Uh…no?" Matt experimented. The teacher raised an eyebrow. "…Yes?"

They were both ordered to stand outside the classroom for the rest of the two-hour-long lesson.

* * *

"Matt, come on! Me and Near want to go play Monopoly!" Mello whined, poking his best friend in the shoulder as if to hurry up his eating process.

"You two go ahead; I'll catch up," Matt mumbled through a mouthful of chewed up food. Today, bangers and mash were on the supper menu, and there was no way he was going to pass up fully savouring his favourite meal of all time.

"Godsake, Matt! How much do you even eat?" Mello cried in exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Depends on the food. In this case, quite a lot," Matt informed him, before shovelling another forkful of peas into his wide-open mouth.

Near looked on in mild amazement at the sheer capacity of Matt's stomach.

"Jesus Christ, I give up," Mello blasphemed uncaringly. He grabbed Near's hand and started steering him out of the mostly-empty dining room. "Come on, let's leave him to his fucking food."

Near followed quietly, though he didn't have much of a choice. Frankly, he didn't care.

While the two were walking (or stomping, in Mello's case) up the stairs, a shy-looking girl with blonde hair stepped up to block their path.

"What do you want, Linda?" Mello demanded rudely. He wasn't too fond of the budding artist.

"Well, actually…" Linda played coyly with her hair, reminiscent to Near, "I was wondering whether I could speak alone with Near?" Her gaze flickered to the said boy, before she blushed and averted her gaze.

Mello narrowed his eyes. "No. Now get out of my way."

Linda frowned. "Mello, that's so rude! Near, can I talk to you alone for a minute, please?" she asked him, smiling sweetly.

Mello restrained the need to throw up.

Near glanced between the two, his eyes lingering on Mello longer than seemed necessary. "Yes, Linda may talk to me, but I have doubts that Mello will allow privacy. Go ahead," he awarded the blonde with his attention.

Linda huffed irritably, glaring at Mello, before turning back to Near, hunching her shoulders and clasping her hands in bashfulness. She may have thought it looked cute, but Mello's opinion of it was not to be voiced in the presence of anyone under the age of sixteen.

"Well, uh, I was wondering whether…" she trailed off. Mello was _that_close from strangling her with her own hair tie. "I was wondering whether you'd go out with me," she finally stammered out, turning a horrendous shade of red.

Mello blinked, not comprehending what had just transpired. Then the Mello Wrath set in, and he took a step towards Linda with the full intention of beating her to a pulp, girl or not.

Near, however, maintained his calm, and firmly grasped Mello's sleeve so as to prevent a trip to the hospital and inevitably the police station.

"I am afraid I will have to decline," he informed Linda monotonously, making his way to leave. "I thank Linda for her consideration," he added as an afterthought.

Mello didn't even bother to look around to see how the rejection had been taken, though it would definitely have satisfied him immensely, sadistic bastard that he was.

After Near had shut the door to his tidy room, Mello bounced onto the bed, as cheerful as he had been before any of the 'irritating crap' of that day had reared its ugly head.

As Near sat himself down beside to blond, Mello asked him impulsively, "Why did you turn Linda down?"

Near looked at him in surprise, and then down at the duvet covering his bed. "I do not feel any attraction towards her," he said bluntly.

Mello regarded him curiously. "Why not? Are you straight?"

Near blinked, looking at him with confusion.

Mello sighed, rolled his eyes and asked again.

Finally, Near answered, "I do not know. I have never considered it before."

Mello gaped, disbelieving. "What? How? I mean—_What_?"

Near shrugged simply, not seeing a reason for Mello's shock. "Does Mello know if he is straight or not?" he asked in return, anxious to turn the subject of the conversation away from him.

"Yeah, I do," Mello replied nonchalantly, having recovered from his initial shock at Near's admittance.

Near looked at the blond with an unreadable expression. "And_ is_Mello straight?" he asked, not knowing whether to expect an answer or not.

Nevertheless, one came. "No."

Near's eyebrows shot up, almost disappearing beneath his snowy locks of hair. Mello had to fist his hands in the covers on the bed so as not to burst out laughing at the expression of pure surprise on the other boy's face.

"How…how did Mello know?" he inquired finally, recovering the use of his vocal chords. He was curious to see whether hearing Mello's account of his discovery would reveal his own sexual orientation.

Mello looked down. "I kind of like this guy…" he admitted softly, refusing to look Near in the eye.

Near's curiosity was practically making his hair stand on end, but he didn't push the subject; Mello was obviously uncomfortable with discussing it.

Although, privately, he was slightly jealous of the one Mello had bestowed his feelings upon.

Did that mean he was homosexual?

Mello stayed silent for a while, obviously fighting his embarrassment. Soon enough, however, he spoke up again.

"Do you want to know whether you're gay or not?" he asked Near, glancing up at the other boy.

Near blinked contemplatively. "Yes," he replied truthfully.

Mello hesitated, apparently unsure or nervous. "You sure?" he inquired again.

Near nodded his affirmation. "But how does Mello suppose he will uncover my sexuality?"

Mello winced. He leant forward, so he was almost nose-to-nose with the other boy. "Just don't kill me if you're straight," he whispered huskily before gently capturing Near's lips with his own.

Near's eyes widened for a split second, then slid shut, his hands curling to grip onto his duvet. Mello slid a hand up to grip the back of Near's head when it became apparent that he wasn't going to pull away. He softly kneaded the scalp there, working his fingers in tandem with his lips.

Both boys were too lost in the moment to notice Matt stroll into the room, freeze, let out a squeak of surprise, and back out again in a hurry.

That was probably a good thing.

However, they almost definitely would have heard his laughing fit had he not held it in until he reached the room he and Mello shared.

_ Almost _definitely.

After a good few moments of silence only broken by the two boys' gentle breathing, Mello pulled back, looking slightly dazed.

"Right," he said, swallowing thickly. "…Did you feel anything?"

Near licked his lips, still tasting the heady, intoxicating flavour of Mello in his mouth. "I don't know…" he lied.

Mello stared at him in disbelief, then shook his head in exasperation and gave up. "I can't believe you sometimes. Come on, I wanna play Monopoly!" he demanded, successfully changing the subject.

Near got up and fetched the board and game pieces, still somewhat stunned. As they laid out the game, he pondered on what had just transpired.

Well, at least the mystery of his sexual orientation was solved.

Rolling the dice, Mello huffed in annoyance. When Near looked at him curiously, he explained, "Matt didn't come up after all. Bastard."

* * *

**A/N: Did'ja like it? I really hope so...**

**Tell me in a review! (pleasies?)  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So here it is, guys, the last chapter! Yay...? O_O  
**

**I am sorta sad to see it go...but I finished writing it ages ago, so I got over it! XP I hope y'all who enjoy fluff like the ending. (There's a tiny hint for you)  
**

**Btw, I heard about this miracle exfoliant called Cure. Apparently it's the #1 Bestseller in Japan, with 1 sold every 20 seconds. I know, Jesus...  
**

**Anyways, I was looking to buy it on the Internet, seeing as I like looking after my face, but I have ridiculously sensitive skin, and other exfoliants make my face really dry, but the cheapest bottle I saw was £43.00. FORTY-THREE? ...No. I may treasure my skin, but not that much. I'm a cheapskate, I know. But seriously. Just thought I'd share that with all of you for no reason! XD**

**I'm currently working on (very slowly) a ByaRen fic for Bleach, which probably won't interest any of you that much, but I'll almost definitely write another fic for Death Note, so if you lot watch out for that, I will be a very happy bunny!  
**

**A sort of okay response to last chapter...nothing to freak out about, either way. Thank you hugely to:  
**

**DarkAngelJudas  
**

**Rainbow Fruit Loop  
**

**7millionduckies  
**

**and SilenceShouting! They all reviewed, so pretty good, right! X3  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Awww... *puppy pout***

* * *

Chapter Seven: Debilitating Misunderstandings

Mello looked at Matt in annoyance. Near looked at Matt in mild confusion. Matt looked at the two and immediately burst into raucous laughter.

"Gah!" Mello screamed in frustration and chucked the nearest robot at his friend's head. "What the _fuck_ is so damn funny? That must be the seventh time you've done that in the last three minutes!"

Matt winced as the hard, cold plastic of the toy collided with his skull, but it did nothing to tame the huge hiccups of laughter still spilling from his lips.

Mello's eyelid twitched; he looked about ready to murder the redhead.

Near, on the other hand, was now marginally suspicious. He shuffled over to where Matt was rolling around on the carpet, and poked the other boy until he stopped guffawing.

When he finally quietened down, Near looked him solidly in the eye and said, "It is not healthy to partake in the consumption of drugs, Matt."

_That_ shocked Matt into silence.

Mello's eyes bugged. "Oh my God! Matt, have you been—?"

"_No_," Matt denied vehemently, rolling his eyes. "Why the hell would I do that? It's a shitty idea, and I have better things to do with my free time."

"Like playing the trashy video games you're addicted to?" Mello raised his eyebrow.

"They're not trashy! And I'm _not_ addicted!"

"_Denial_~" Mello sang aggravatingly.

"I am _not_ in denial!" Matt denied.

This time, both Near and Mello raised their eyebrows.

Matt was quiet for a few seconds, and then shook his head. "I dunno when it started, but I really do _not_ enjoy this new hobby of you guys ganging up on me." he grumbled. "Probably began around the same time as you started kissy-facing, actually…" he mused.

Mello nearly fell over in surprise. "_What_?" he shrieked, praying (like that'd ever helped him before) to God he'd just heard wrong.

"You heard me. It's kinda weird, y'know, seeing as you used to hate the little Sheepy, but hey, it's cute. Most of the orphanage's girls'd flip." Matt shrugged, secretly peeing himself laughing on the inside.

"You—you saw that?" Mello was evidently still clinging to the last straws of hope he had left.

"Yep."

Straws of hope gone.

There was a long silence. Near, who had remained silent for the entirety of the conversation (out of sheer mortification), attempted to retreat into his own body through hunching his shoulders, tortoise-style.

Finally, Mello's mind clicked. Springing to his feet, he dragged Matt over to the door and bodily threw him over the threshold. "And _stay_ out!" he ordered, slamming the door in his face.

Matt sniggered quietly, still on his butt outside Near's room. Mello would probably be pissed with him for a few hours, but seriously, that had been _so_ worth it.

* * *

Mello paced the room like a caged lion - back and forth, back and forth - over Near's white fluffy rug.

Near followed him with his eyes until they went all skew-iff and weird, then returned his attention back to his puzzle.

"Aargh!" Mello roared, catching Near's attention again. When the white-haired boy prompted him with an inclination of the head, he continued: "I can't _believe_ Matt saw that! I'll never live it down!"

Near blinked, not showing any emotion to speak of.

"I mean, he might go round telling the entire orphanage! I swear, I'd _die_ of shame! Or kill myself. I'm not sure which would come first."

Still, Near stayed silent.

"I mean, if word ever got out that I…I…k-kis…"

"Kissed me?" Near finally piped up.

Mello shuddered lightly. "Yeah, that. Well, if word ever got out, I'd never be able to show my face again! It'd be awful! And I know Matt's not usually the gossip type, but he's really unpredictable sometimes, and I don't know if he'd—"

"I am ninety eight percent certain that Matt will not speak of Mello's ever-so-closely guarded secret to anyone," Near said, only slightly bitterly.

"But what about that two percent? It's still possible! It'd just be so _humiliating_, and—Near? What's wrong?" Mello finally picked up on the other boy's mood.

"Nothing Mello needs to concern himself with," Near replied sharply, placing puzzle pieces for dear life.

Mello frowned in confusion and crouched down so he was at eyelevel with the white-haired boy. "What are you talking about? Of _course_ I'm concerned; what's wrong?" he repeated earnestly, reaching out to touch the other's cheek.

Near flinched away.

"_Near_?" Mello's voice was shrill and panicky.

"Mello does not need to stay in my company any longer," Near said stiffly, scooting back across the floor a few centimetres.

"…Huh?" Mello looked at him with a stricken expression, hurt welling up in his blue eyes.

"If being around me _humiliates_ Mello, then he does not need to stay here any longer," Near clarified, practically spitting out the words. He was clutching a stuffed toy to his chest like it was his only tether to sanity.

"_What_?" Mello recoiled as if slapped. "You thought I was saying—Oh _God_, Near…and I just kept on—it _wasn't _about you, I swear! I just—"

"Wanted to keep what transpired under lock and key?" Near finished for him acidly, "Because Mello was _ashamed_? Because Mello would never live it down? Because Mello didn't want anyone to know about something he wouldn't have given two hoots about them knowing if it had been with anyone other than myself?"

"_No_!" Mello yelled almost hysterically. "Nothing like that! I don't want anyone to know because I want it to be private! Just for us! I want it to be only ours…" he trailed off, fighting desperately to keep the tears from spilling over.

Near regarded him coldly. "Then why did Mello say _he_ would be mortified? That _he_ would never be able to show his face again?" he interrogated harshly, still sceptical of Mello's true feelings on the matter.

"Because I didn't want _you_ to know I wanted that! The kiss—it meant nothing to you! But it meant something for me, and I—I wanted to keep it sacred," Mello admitted ashamedly, hanging his head.

Near was silent for an entire, agonising minute.

Then: "Mello thought it meant nothing to me?"

Mello's head snapped up; the sudden movement causing the liquid filling his eyes to spill and run down his cheeks.

Near looked beyond shocked to see the blond crying, and he recoiled slightly, only to edge closer again and gingerly put his arms around the other boy's neck.

Mello's tears quickly dried up in his surprise, but he didn't pull away. In fact, he brought his arms to the boy's back to hold him closer still.

"Mello thought I was unaffected by his kiss?" Near whispered into the other's ear, causing Mello to close his eyes briefly while Near's warm breath ghosted along his neck.

_His_ kiss. It made it seem so much more personal.

"I _was_ affected," Near told him, still quiet enough to be almost inaudible.

Mello turned his head to look into the white-haired boy's eyes in surprise, still keeping him in his arms. "But... afterwards, you said you didn't feel…"

"I know what I said. I did not want Mello to feel any obligation to continue something he evidently had no wish to follow through with."

Mello blinked, face blank.

Near sighed, the barest hint of a smile playing in his eyes. "Mello had earlier admitted to me that he was enamoured with another," he reminded the blond gently.

Mello still looked confused. "Another?" he whispered softly.

Near wondered whether the unfamiliar action of crying had fried Mello's brain beyond repair. "Yes. Mello said he likes 'this guy', did he not?"

"Yeah," Mello affirmed. "But I didn't say, 'I like this guy, and he's definitely not you, oh no, not at all, I'm just going to randomly kiss you for no apparent reason with a really lame excuse that you have, for some reason, fallen for and practically force myself on you only to realise that you don't actually like me back, even though I thought you might, and now I'm going to pretend I don't mind and play Monopoly until curfew', did I?" he asked rhetorically.

"…No, Mello definitely did not say that," Near hedged tentatively, still not _quite_ getting where Mello was headed.

Mello huffed, exasperated. "God, you're really not getting this, are you?" he asked, finally pulling out of Near's hold on him and holding the other boy by his shoulders at arm's length. "There _is_ no 'other'," the blond said slowly, as if speaking to a small child.

Near looked flummoxed. "Mello lied?"

"Aargh!" Mello strangled out for the second time that day, shaking Near not overly gently. "No! There isn't an 'other'! There never was an 'other'! But there is _someone_!" he yelled.

Near wasn't stupid. It finally clicked. "Mello's…someone…was me?" he breathed disbelievingly, inhaling a shaky breath.

"Is," Mello corrected, staring a hole in a particularly interesting section of flooring to his right.

Near was very quiet for a very long time.

Eventually, Mello released the other boy's shoulders, and retreated slowly. "I'm sorry," he apologised, "I shouldn't have—I'll…just go now." He got up numbly and walked to the door, face stony and blank, his first successful attempt at a poker face.

"Wait," came the order from behind him.

Mello obeyed, freezing in position. He turned around again when he heard padding footsteps approaching him from behind.

"How long?" was all Near said.

Mello sighed, running a hand through his hair. "God, I dunno. Not a short time ago, but not long either. I guess…it's always been there, sort of. Just this little spark that set you apart from the rest in my eyes. It was only a matter of me realising it," he concluded, shrugging in feign nonchalance.

Near considered this. "And when _did_ Mello realise?" he asked quietly, as if scared of breaking the blond in front of him.

"About two seconds after Linda asked you out."

"…I see."

Another long silence.

Mello was just about to turn around and leave again when Near spoke again. "Nate River," he said.

"Excuse me?" Mello was slightly confused.

"My name. Nate River. I trust Mello now," Near revealed simply.

Mello blinked. "I wasn't expecting your name to be _Nate_," he said stupidly.

Near looked mildly irritated. "Is that the most intelligent thing Mello can think to say?"

"…No," Mello denied. "Mihael Keehl," he told the boy in return, holding out a hand for Near to shake.

The boy took it. "I _definitely_ did not imagine Mello's real name to be Mihael."

"Okay, okay, you've made your point. But what brought all this on?" Mello asked, still significantly nonplussed.

In answer, Near reached up on tiptoes and touched his lips gently to Mello's.

"I trust Mello," he repeated, "Enough now that I can entrust him with my heart."

Mello remained frozen for five complete seconds. Finally, he choked out, "_Since when_?"

"I do not exactly know. I believe my side of the story is much the same as Mello's, except that it clicked for me as soon as his lips touched mine."

Mello didn't even bother to reply before he grabbed Near's shoulders and crushed their mouths together.

This time, it was Near's hands that made their way to his companion's head, grasping silky locks of hair and pulling gently, causing the owner of the strands to groan into his mouth.

They kissed feverishly for minutes, seconds, hours—they didn't know. All they were conscious of was the sensation of the other's lips on theirs—hot, slick _bliss_—and the hands belonging to neither of them knew, or cared, who, running up, down and over, leaving trails of fire in their wake.

Eventually, they had to surface for air, and as they stood gasping, still entangled in a mess of arms, legs and warmth, Mello said, "Well, so much for reconciliation. My religion condemns homosexual activity of any sort."

"And does Mello care?" Near huffed out, still panting, face flushed with the palest pink.

Mello thought about it for a second. "Nah, not really. I used to, but I guess I might want to convert to Liberal Christianity instead now." Mello leaned down for another long, lingering kiss.

* * *

Matt was rewarded with a poisonous glare when he greeted Mello cheerfully, the blond having just walked into their shared room.

"Don't look at me like that, Mels! It worked, didn't it?" the redhead asked teasingly, leaning back on his arms.

"_What_ worked?" Mello asked venomously, still regarding him with heightened suspicion.

"My lil' matchmaking plan." Matt grinned.

Mello looked floored. "You—_plan_?" he squeaked (very masculinely, of course).

"Yeppo. Had you completely fooled, didn't I?"

Mello just gaped. After realising how ridiculous he looked and hurriedly closing his mouth, he asked, "Did you tell anyone, just to go along with your little 'plan'?"

"Nah. I wouldn't do that. Not unless you wanted me to, anyway," Matt reassured him. "_Do_ you want me to?" he asked amiably.

Mello shrugged. "Don't really give a shit either way," he said, "But make sure Roger doesn't go all homophobic on us."

"Will do."

_Finis._

* * *

**A/N: IT'S OVER! *fake crie**s*_  
_

**I'm not really all that bothered, though, because there's a huge amount of stress being put on me in the form of exams, let alone this! So, sorry, but that's all I can really say. XP**

**See you next time!**

**~tii-chan17**


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